But Not In Sickness
by Licy4
Summary: Charlie and Duffy might live to regret skipping that bit of their vows. Set straight after The Stag, The Dog and The Sheep. Chuffy.
1. Chapter 1

Set immediately after the end of 'The Stag, the Dog and the Sheep'. 

xXx 

They'd left the party behind them. The guests were still taking advantage of the free bar and DJ, but the new Mr and Mrs Fairhead had quietly decided that the only people they wanted to be with was each other.

It still didn't quite feel real that they were actually married. How could they have spent so long dancing around each other and then moved at warp speed in the last few months? From friends to lovers to engaged couple and now husband and wife in such a short space of time.

"I can't get used to it," Duffy said as she drove them towards home, "You're not just Charlie anymore. You're my husband Charlie."

"Proudest, luckiest man in the world," he replied, placing his hand over hers on the gearstick.

"Alright, we're married now. You don't have to keep wooing me."

Charlie laughed, "But I'm such a good woo-er." She beamed across the car at him.

And then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie woke with a jolt. The feeling of being so deeply asleep and then suddenly awake in an instant. As soon as the light hit his eyes, however, he was overcome by the urge to close them again. After a few moments of respite, he gingerly tried again, blinking away the fuzziness, waiting for the world to come into focus.

It became immediately apparent that he wasn't at home. It took a few moments to realise he was in the hospital. Resus, to be specific. And that he wasn't alone.

"Charlie?" Alicia's voice came to him through the haze and then her face appeared in front of him.

"He's awake," she said to someone he couldn't see.

Alicia's face was replaced by Josh's, concern etched in every corner, "Charlie! Thank goodness."

Charlie couldn't figure out what was going on. How did he get here? Why was Josh here? He tried to think backwards. He'd been in a car. Who had he been with? Where had he been going? He'd been to a wedding. Whose wedding? It hit him like a tonne of bricks.

"Duffy," he croaked, finding his throat dry and sore.

Charlie didn't notice Josh's eyes flick to the other side of the room, "Don't worry, mate, she's here."

"Duffy…" he trailed off as his eyes dipped closed again, back into his deep sleep.

xXx

It was another few hours before Charlie's eyes opened again. This time he felt much less groggy and it didn't take him anywhere near as long to work out where he was and remember why he was there, even though the room was much less familiar to him. He investigated his immediate surroundings.

He was in a private room on AAU, attached to a number of machines and drips and was tucked tightly into the starched white bedsheets. Shifting under the covers he realised he was in pain from a number of locations, most notably his abdomen. Napping in a chair on the other side of the room was Josh, a magazine still open on his lap.

The door to the room swung open and Fletch swept in, waking Josh up with the noise.

"Ah, morning, sleepyhead. I was wondering when you'd join us," the nurse commented, squirting some alcohol gel onto his hands and rubbing it in before beginning to go through the routine of checking Charlie's obs.

Charlie considered his response and realised there was only one thing he wanted to know, "Where's my wife?"

Fletch paused and looked across to Josh, "Mate, let's worry about you first, yeah?"

"No, let's not. Where is she?"

Josh moved to stand at the side of the bed, "Charlie, you've had major surgery. You need to rest."

Charlie felt terror rise inside of him and tears prick his eyes, "Josh… is she dead?"

"No. She's not. She's alive, Charlie, I promise," he perched on the edge of the bed, "But she was badly injured. She's in ITU."

"I have to see her," Charlie said, starting to grasp at the sheets.

"Oh no, no you don't," Fletch responded, restraining the older man, "You are in no fit state to go anywhere. Duffy is in very good hands."

Having come to the same conclusion himself, feeling the roar of pain as he tried to move, Charlie lay back in the bed, tears now streaming down his cheeks, "What happened to us?"

"You were hit by a drunk driver on your way home from the wedding. He jumped a red light and smashed into the driver's side of the car," Josh told him, "The bastard is with the police now."

Fletch put Charlie's folder back in the holder, "Listen, I'll give ITU a call and get you an update, ok?"

Charlie didn't respond. Josh sighed and nodded at Fletch as he left the room.

"You had some serious internal bleeding and you've broken your leg, but Serena put you back together and there shouldn't be any long-term damage."

"Josh, I couldn't care less about me. What is wrong with Duffy?"

"Ok," Josh took a deep breath and looked his friend squarely in the eye, "She had serious and extensive injuries, including several broken bones and damage to her spleen. She also suffered trauma to her head. They've done what they can, but until she wakes up we won't know the extent of… of the…um…consequences."

"She could be brain damaged?" Charlie asked quietly.

Josh nodded, "It is likely there will be some lasting effects, yes."

There was silence in the room as the two men thought about the possible implications of the information. Charlie couldn't comprehend how his life had changed so much in the last few hours. All of his plans for the future might have been wiped out.

"Peter and Tanya are upstairs with Duffy. Paul, Jake and Louis are on their way," Josh continued.

Charlie looked at Josh with pleading in his eyes, "I need to be with her, Josh."

"I know. Let me go and see what I can do."


End file.
